SOCAP13 will be held at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, CA from Sept. 3-6. Join the world’s pioneering impact investors, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, civic leaders, and innovators to mobilize resources and capital for good. As a media partner for SOCAP13, NextBillion readers will save 30 percent off the cost of registration.

For the impact investing community, it sure looks like 2013 has started with a bang. But 2012 certainly didn’t end with a whimper either. The bang was heard on Thursday with an announcement from Unitus Seed Fund (USF), which raised investments of more than $8 million for early stage BoP startups.

Global Agri-Development Company (GADCO), the FMCG agri-food company operating in sub-Saharan Africa, is pleased to announce an investment from AATIF (Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund), the public-private partnership funded by the German Government, KfW, and Deutsche Bank.

In Dubai, a city that is sometimes referred to as ‘soul-less’, over 150 social changemakers from across the Gulf gathered at the Capital Club in DIFC a couple of weeks ago to discuss how our models of social entrepreneurship and philanthropy can evolve.

Flexible and longer-term capital is in short supply in the marketplace. This capital should align with an enterprise’s stage of maturity, business model, and possibility of exit whether to commercial investors, hybrid investors, or public actors. There remains a need for grant capital but grants need to be strategic, much like Angel finance.

For the past decade, the Global Philanthropy Forum has served as a catalyst for social change by bringing together donors and social investors with global leaders in business and government. This year’s forum is built around the theme “Toward a New Social Contract." In a recent interview, Jane Wales, president and CEO of the Global Philanthropy Forum and the World Affairs Council, discusses the shared value agenda.

The Forbes cover story asks: "Can Venture Capital Save the World?" But as the article points out, Acumen Fund doesn?t mirror a traditional venture capital firm. Having led a Santa Clara University study, retired venture capitalist John Kohler says social capital markets could stand to learn a few lessons on efficiency from the VC world.

At Acumen Fund, we feel it is high time for the dynamic to change - for the social enterprise sector to recognize the need to catalyze and support affordable housing across emerging markets. But we know there are forces working against us that cause housing to be treated like the forgotten stepchild of the social enterprise sector.